Online Shopper; Let Muddy Dogs Lie

By Michelle Slatalla

Published: July 13, 2006

THE reason I need a rug on the porch is to cover up the muddy paw prints. It hardly makes sense to get rid of Otto, the brown dog. I mean, we held on to the children and look at all the damage they did.

In comparison, Otto's tendency to roll in mud and dead squirrels before stretching out on the porch is tolerable. I even support his relationship with a filthy squeaky duck toy. My only real quibble, besides the paw prints, is that a 90-pound Labrador retriever leaves behind grimy full-body prints more appropriate to a crime scene, where they could be outlined in chalk and roped off.

''Why were you measuring the porch?'' my husband asked suspiciously the other day.

I considered all the possible answers that wouldn't lead to an argument before caving in and telling the truth.

''For a rug,'' I said as tersely as if I were being deposed.

''That's crazy,'' he said. ''Otto has a gift. He can ruin any new rug. His record is three hours.''

I feared my husband might be right. How many rugs exist that are stain-resistant, rain-resistant, claw-resistant -- and amenable to being hosed off from time to time? The last time I bought an outdoor rug, a few years back, my choices were limited to a rubber mat or a scratchy woven grass or hemp thing that was unforgiving on bare feet. I remember spending much of that July tweezing splinters from the children.

But a quick search online convinced me that things in the outdoor rug department have improved greatly since then. At sites like Rugsusa.com, Backyardcity.com and Grandinroad.com, I saw colorful, intricately patterned outdoor rugs that would have looked equally at home indoors, at prices that hovered well below $200. At Kokotrends.com, I even saw a reversible Persian-style outdoor floor mat in 10 bright color combinations ($36 for a six-by-four-foot size).

What revolutionized the world of outdoor rugs? I called the Carpet and Rug Institute, a trade organization that represents American carpet manufacturers, to find out.

The answer, I learned from Werner Braun, the institute's president, boiled down to two words: polypropylene thread. Rug manufacturers, who have long relied on the durable thermoplastic substance to make most all-weather rugs, have in recent years begun to use polypropylene thread on their looms, weaving the same kinds of elaborate designs that used to be reserved for indoor rugs.

''This whole trend has accelerated in the past three or four years, with the consumer demanding more style, color and design options,'' Mr. Braun said. ''Mills have modernized their equipment, and as a result you see significant innovations.''

For me, that meant an overwhelming number of rugs to look at online. I spent hours glued to the computer screen, gazing at tiny thumbnail images. I was particularly partial to a trellis-patterned rug described as the Terrace Wrought Iron, which I saw at Rugsdirect.com for $99 for a 4'9'' by 7'4'' size.

The rug was nearly identical to Smithandhawken.com's Patio Rug, which cost $149 for a size that was a few inches larger, with one key difference. While the Smith & Hawken rug was available in two dirt-resistant colors -- described as oatmeal and rust -- the rug I wanted had a pale straw-colored background and a moss-colored trellis pattern.

Would buying it be impractical?

I looked down at Otto, who looked so harmlessly clean and glossy, snoring at my feet. As he twitched and sighed, I surreptitiously eyed the large, dusty oven mitts he calls paws.

Maybe I would be better off with the French leopard rug at Ballarddesigns.com ($29 to $299, depending on size) because the mottled brown and black leopard-skin spots on it would provide camouflage for muddy dog prints?

I watched Otto's claws go scritch-scritch as he chased a rabbit in his sleep.

I wavered. And then, I decided to be brave. What did I have to lose by testing the Rugsdirect.com rug? The company offered free shipping and a money-back guarantee. If I chickened out after the rug arrived, I could return it for any reason within two weeks for a full refund.

The rug arrived two weeks later, compactly rolled up inside a clear plastic bag that UPS conveniently left on the porch.

I unrolled the rug. The colors perfectly complemented the striped cushions on the all-weather porch furniture I recently had bought from Target.com.

Otto watched me unfurl it.

Then I watched him mosey off toward the backyard to dig up a bone from a wet spot in the garden.

I looked down at the pale, straw-colored background on the rug -- and rushed inside in a panic to phone Rugsdirect.com for advice.

''I have this dog,'' I told Rex Creekmur, the company's director of marketing.

Mr. Creekmur did not flinch. His company, which has two brick-and-mortar stores in Virginia, sells 60,000 rugs online and has a home page logo that proclaims it ''The Nation's Leading Source for Area Rugs,'' didn't earn this motto by panicking.

''Your dog can't hurt it by walking on it,'' he said.

''Really?'' I asked.

''There are other things a dog can do that you need to be careful of, of course,'' he said.

''Otto would never do that on a rug,'' I said.

''Then you're fine,'' he said.

''Should I hose off the dirt?'' I asked.

''I'd vacuum,'' he said.

''Wait until the mud dries?'' I asked.

''Yes, it's water-resistant, that's one of the keys, but it's a very tight weave, so you should be able to vacuum it to prevent dirt from getting ground in,'' he said.

''While I have you on the phone,'' I said, ''what about other issues? Seedpods, for instance.''

''Seedpods?''

''Sometimes sticky ones blow onto the porch,'' I said.

''Again, vacuum,'' he said.

''Spilled wine?'' I asked.

''If anything leaves a mark, and you've just got to use a carpet cleaner, scrub it with a soft brush,'' he said.

By the time I returned to the porch, Otto had struck. But I felt resolute as I surveyed the muddy prints he'd left behind.

Within a couple of hours, the problem spot dried. I vacuumed. The prints disappeared.

The next day, I found my husband reading the newspaper on the porch, Otto at his feet chewing something.

I heard an ominous squeak. The duck toy was pretty muddy, but nothing compared with what the children used to bring home.